Broken Beauty
by Sarahlove16
Summary: So much happened between the time of Adam's transformation and our wedding. I'm Belle and this is my story. Rated M for rape, violence, and everything else.
1. Chapter 1

Pain. That's all that I felt as a man grabbed me by the hair in the garden and dragged me off into the wooded area. I tried to scream but a monstrous hand cupped my mouth. Before I knew it, there was a knife at my throat, and the man whispered in my ear that if I made another sound, he had no problem killing me. He removed his hand from my mouth and spun me around.

_Gaston. _I instinctively kicked his knees and viewed the rage in his eyes.

"BITCH SO HELP ME GOD," He fumed and before I knew it, his fist met my face, knocking me to the ground. With blurred vision, I pushed myself up onto all fours, but felt his foot hit my stomach with a loud thud and I fell back town to the ground. I couldn't breathe.

"You thought I was dead, didn't you? You thought he killed me. You thought you would never have to deal with what he did ever again. You thought that I would never be back to take what was mine," Gaston said calmly, as I looked at him as the snow fell and landed gracefully around me.

"I was never yours. Adam has my heart. And you never did." I whispered, unable to catch my breath from the blow to the head. "We're planning our wedding. There's nothing you can do. Please just let me go," I begged as I lunged for the bench next to the bush.

"You can fight, but nothing is going to stop the inevitable. I will have you, Belle." The words struck me hard. I knew what he meant. His piercing eyes said it all.

"No. Please. Please don't. I've never…" I couldn't even say it. It is customary to wait until marriage. And I had done just that. He can't take something from me that I had been saving for Adam.

Gaston grabbed my arm, twisting it behind me. He bent down and whispered in my ear, "I will not be disobeyed."

"I am not going to comply with your sick wishes, Gaston." I said, shooting him a death glare from behind me, wincing at the pain he was causing me. "If you want me, you're going to have to take me by force."

"Bitch, it was going to happen that way anyway. I will not be denied." He grabbed me by the cheeks so hard I thought my teeth were going to rip through them.

He pinned me to the ground, holding my wrists as he did so. I struggled by kicking my feet, hoping to hit him hard enough that it would give me a chance to break free. "Let me go, you bastard!" I screamed and he responded simply by placing a forceful kiss on my mouth. It then dawned on me that this was actually going to happen. _This can't be actually happening,_ I thought as I watched him begin to undo his pants. He left his pants undone and bent over me, biting my breasts through my dress. A shiver ran down my spine, partially from the blinding cold, but partially because I knew in my heart that I was not getting out of this. "Help," I whispered, almost inaudibly, but Gaston heard it.

"Oh, Darling, no one can help the little beauty now. I'm about to take you," Before I knew it he was practically sitting on my stomach, pulling down his pants even further. He grabbed my head and said, "Open wide, bitch." I clenched my teeth and turned my head, but that just made him angrier. He pulled my neck up to him and said, in a booming voice, "I SAID OPEN WIDE." Afraid of what he might do, I opened wide, and he slammed his member into my mouth so forcefully that I gagged and couldn't breathe. He did this for five or six times, before taking himself out of my mouth, slapping my face, and then in one swift movement, tearing my dress.

He squeezed my arms so hard and forcefully that I couldn't move. I couldn't think of anything except for the pain that I knew I was about to experience.

"Adam," I whispered, pleading for him to know something was wrong.

Bad idea. Gaston punched my ribs and whispered coldly, "Say that name again, and I will kill you with my bare hands,"

Gasping for breath, I watched as he rolled up my dress and pulled down my bloomers. _No. _I couldn't move. He pinned my arms down too hard. The fear that rushed through each one of my senses is indescribable.

He positioned himself on top of me, putting his hand firmly on my throat.

With one final look, he declared, "You're mine," and plunged into me with no mercy. I felt my maidenhead give way and felt the worse pain I've ever felt in my entire life. He began to pump in and out and all I could think about was the pain. He choked me and slapped me and called me a whore. I felt blood trickle down my leg and I finally let go of any trace of dignity I had left and started sobbing uncontrollably. This didn't stop him. With one final thrust he poured his juices into me and squeezed my neck even harder. Gasping for breath, I watched as he extracted his member from my most private place and got up, buttoning his pants. "I hope you never forget this."

Blood soaked the bottom of my dress, and I choked on my tears as my vision began to cloud. I heard Gaston move away, until I couldn't hear anything anymore.

I don't know how long I blacked out. I don't remember the next 20 minutes or so. I soon heard bustling in the bushes, though, and instantly panicked. I picked myself up the best I could and started crawling away, but failing and falling into a heap of snow.

"Belle?" I heard someone call, "Belle, are you out here?"

_Adam. _"Adam…" I whispered desperately, hoping to God that he would hear my plea.

I suddenly felt someone come closer and a shadow of a muscular man fell over me.

"Oh my God. Belle!" Adam yelled, reaching for me. Instinctively, I squirmed away, terrified of anyone touching me ever again.

"Adam, I—I—," I couldn't even speak. I knew what I wanted to say, but I couldn't seem to make the words come out of my mouth.

"It's okay, It's okay," He cooed softly, touching my face gently. I flinched at the pain, as it was still extremely prominent. I tried to get up, wanting to run away, even though I knew he wasn't going to hurt me. The minute I began to stand, though, I doubled over in pain, and Adam caught me. "No, no, no, Belle. You're okay. It's okay. Come here," He scooped me up into his arms, and before I knew it he was running through the garden and into the palace.

"Mrs. Potts! Lumiere! Coggsworth! Help!"

I couldn't stay awake any longer. I succumbed to the pain and the dizziness, and the last thing I remember is Adam begging for me not to close my eyes.

* * *

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of my story :) **

**I am looking to make this a fairly long fic, probably like 15 chapters! I want it to be a very detailed story, and am looking for suggestions for aspects of the plot that my viewers would like to see happen in this story.**

**Please review it, let me know what you want to see, and I'll try to make it happen! I am looking to make my readers happy, as well as improve my writing. **

**Thanks for reading :) **


	2. Chapter 2

I awoke to the sound of someone breathing deeply. _Gaston,_ I thought. I gasped for breath and kicked, seeing his face before me.

"Belle," he said, and I began to punch his chest.

"BELLE!" I opened my eyes and saw Adam hovering over me, brushing the sweaty hair out of my face. In that instant I didn't know what to do. So I simply broke down in a fit of trembling and dry heaving, sobbing tears of angst, fear, and pain. Adam pulled me to him and held me to his chest, rocking me back and forth on the bed, the way a mother would hold her nightmare ridden child. "It's okay. It's okay, I promise. I'm here, okay? No one is ever going to hurt you ever again."

Adam pulled the bedspread around me and picked me up in his arms. I was in the fetal position now, scared that if I opened up my body at all it would be defiled all over again. I convulsed into his chest, and he rubbed my back in an attempt to comfort me. "I…" I started to speak, but Adam said, "Shhh…" and looked into my eyes. "You don't have to say anything, okay? Not until you're ready. Just know that you're safe."

There was something beyond soothing about his voice. It was usually so deep, so loud, but right then, it was calm, quiet, and tender. The room started spinning around me, just for a moment, and I woozily reached up and touched my forehead, feeling a big bandage on my forehead. I touched the side of my eye, flinching with pain at the touch, and, upon running my fingers down my neck, felt a burn that made me jump out of my own skin.

"Stop, stop, stop…" Adam cooed, gently taking my hand and holding it to his chest. "Just rest, for now...you need to regain your strength."

* * *

I fell asleep shortly thereafter, and awoke a few hours later to a concerned Mrs. Potts dampening a washcloth and taking my arm into hers, wiping away some mud and dried up blood.

"You're awake, Deary," Mrs. Potts said, relieved, as I flinched at the stinging of the white cloth meeting my wounds. "You gave us quite a fright…" she said simply, her voice cracking.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, fighting back tears.

"Dear, there is nothing to be sorry about. This is not your fault in the slightest," She said sweetly, her eyes doing most of the talking.

I closed my eyes briefly, attempting to breathe deeply, and then looked back at the darling older woman still tending to me so gently. She had become a mother to me, a figure that I had lacked for so long, as my birth mother died in childbirth.

"Just try to relax, Deary," she said lovingly, and I closed my eyes again. Pain between my legs. A trickle. A warmth. _No. I was raped. _The re-realization hit me like a bullet and I shot up in bed with no warning, startling Mrs. Potts.

"What's wrong, Belle?" She asked, worriedly.

"I want to take a bath. Please. Let me take a bath. I need to get clean. Please. Let me wash," I begged, looking deep into the old woman's eyes.

"Of course, but are you strong enough to walk?" She asked, as I eased my legs over the side of the bed.

"I don't know, I just want a bath," I said determinedly. There was no way I was going another moment without washing away the remnants of the man who had so ruthlessly taken away my most precious gift, the gift that Adam would no longer rightfully receive. I was ashamed. As I stepped out of bed my ankles practically laughed at me and gave way, causing me to crash to the floor.

I heard a bustling and in came Lumiere, concerned beyond belief. "Is she okay? What happened?"

"She wanted to take a bath. We thought she was strong enough," Mrs. Potts said, regrettably.

Loud and fast paced feet rushed into the room and soon Adam was bending down, scooping me up into his arms. "Why would you let her get out of bed?!" His voice boomed, the voice I was familiar with. The soothing sound of a comforting man had gone away, and instead was replaced with a protective, angry fiancé whose love had fallen to the ground.

"It's not her fault! Please, Adam…I demanded that I take a bath," He looked at me with sad eyes, and then turned his gaze to meet Mrs. Potts, who seemed frightened by the way he spoke to her. Adam had changed for the better, but his temper remained ever so present sometimes, and I don't think the staff ever truly stopped fearing him, just a little.

Adam grunted and pushed Lumiere out of the way, whisking me into the connecting bathroom and closing the door behind us. I heard Lumiere and Mrs. Potts walk swiftly out of the bedroom and shut the door. I looked up into Adam's piercing blue eyes.

"Please, Adam, let me bathe…I need to get clean…" I whimpered, begging him to help me rid myself of anything having to do with that night.

He placed a soft kiss on my forehead, and lowered us onto the ground. He cradled me in one arm, and with the other hand turned on the water and began filling the tub.

It was then that I noticed that I wasn't in the same clothes I was in when the attack happened. I hadn't paid much attention to anything except where I was since I woke up in the bedroom, but it dawned on me that I was in my nightgown. _So somebody changed me, _I thought, feeling slightly violated but knowing that it was necessary. "Adam," I started, "Did you change me into my nightgown?"

"No, sweetness…" he assured me, "Mrs. Potts and Babette did. I wasn't sure if you wanted me to see you bare yet…I thought we would wait for our wedding day for that."

_He doesn't know. _And how would he? He hadn't undressed me, and I doubt that Mrs. Potts or even Babette would want to be the bearer of such bad news. I wasn't ready to tell him. I _couldn't _tell him. I was perfectly content with this man thinking that I was simply beaten. I didn't want him to know that I was no longer pure yet. I looked at him in terror and he brushed a wisp of hair out of my face.

"What is it?" He asked, nervously.

"I think you should go," I replied honestly. "I think I should take this bath alone."

He hesitated, and nodded, shutting the water off and testing the temperature. "It's warm. Are you sure you don't need help, Belle?"

"I'm sure, just please…leave me be," I turned away from him. He exhaled, defeated, and walked towards the door. "I'll be in the bedroom. If you need anything, yell and I'll be here, okay?"

I nodded quietly, fiddled with my fingers as he shut the door behind him. I reached behind me and unbuttoned my nightgown, gently slipping it over my head and laying it down beside me. I pulled down my bloomers and kicked them off gently. Bruises covered the insides of my legs, and my entire private area was cut up and damaged. I pulled myself onto the sink and forced myself to look in the mirror at the girl staring back at me. I didn't even recognize her. A bandaged covered the majority of the left side of my forehead. A black and blue bruise engulfed my right eye and cheekbone, and another bruise ran from my temple to my mouth. My neck had a purplish-red mark around it, where he had so ruthlessly choked me. There were bruises on my chest, all over my breasts. Marks were all over my ribcage and stomach, and I flashed back to when he kicked me to keep me silent. I shivered. I braced myself over to the tub, and gently lowered myself into the warm water. Every ounce of me hurt. My entire lower half protested and burned, and I let out a soft, "Ow…" trying to keep quiet. I knew that if I was too loud Adam would make good of his promise and rush back to me, and that was the last thing I wanted.

I reached for the bar of soap on the shelf next to the tub and began lathering my arms. The more I lathered, the more I felt the need to lather. I scrubbed my arms furiously, increasing the speed, and then moved down to my legs. I lifted one leg out of the tub, and scrubbed that one, and then I lifted the other leg out of the tub, and used the soap even more generously on that one. I took a deep breath and placed the soap gently on the place he had hurt me the most. It hurt like no other, but I scrubbed more feverishly than I had with any other part of my body. It was then that I started trembling. I dropped the soap into the tub and lifted my hands to my mouth, in an attempt to keep my broken self from making noise. Tears sprung from my eyes and I convulsed as I began to sob.

I picked up the soap and began washing myself again, raising it to meet my ribcage. I pressed too hard, and, without any control, let out an agonizing, "owwwwwww…."

"Belle? Are you alright?" I heard from right outside the door.

I couldn't even answer him. I dropped the soap once more and hugged my knees to me, sobbing into them.

"Belle, I'm coming in," I heard, before he burst through the door, eyes darting around. I sat up and tried to cover my body. He grabbed a towel and I instinctively reached for it, forgetting that I couldn't let him see me. He stepped back, upon seeing my bruised and scratched up breasts. "Belle…" he whispered. I gasped and crossed my arms over myself.

"There's no point in covering them up, I already saw them," Adam's eyes had a fire to them that I had not seen in a while.

"Can I just have the towel please?" I sheepishly asked him.

"No," He responded, "Belle who did this to you? What happened? Why is your chest that harmed?"

He approached me slowly, and reached for me.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I practically screamed.

"Just let me help you out of the water. Please just let me help you," He said calmly, although his eyes suggested his true emotions were a lot less calm. He scooped me up into his arms and laid me on the rug next to the bathtub. I felt exposed, and gross. He grabbed two towels and wrapped them around me, but paused when he got a glimpse of my thighs and special place.

"Oh my god." He said simply, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't believe…Somebody did this to you and I want to know who. WHO?" He raised his voice as he covered me up the rest of the way, taking me by the shoulders and looking deeply into my eyes.

"WHO, BELLE?" He got louder still.

"GASTON." I blurted, pausing afterward, averting my eyes from his. I looked back at him and hatred filled his face. "Gaston…raped me."

* * *

**Hey guys! Thanks for reading the first chapter of my story. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review so I know what to improve and let me know what you thought! I hope to be able to post more chapters within the next couple of days.**

**I'm looking to make this a LONG fic, probably like 10 or 15 chapters. Please let me know if you have any plot things that you would like to see added to this story. **

**Thanks so much **


	3. Chapter 3

"Gaston raped you? He…he raped you?" He looked at me with furrowed brows. The only thing I could do was stay silent. I nodded weakly. "I killed him."

"No you didn't. We thought you did but you didn't," my voice cracked as I spoke.

"Sweetness…" He started, placing a hand to my face with a look I couldn't determine. I flinched at his touch, and then looked into his eyes. Anger filled them. "I'm going to kill him," he said darkly, getting up and walking towards the door.

"No, Adam, please…" I started, falling back onto the side of the tub.

"Belle, I cannot let him get away with this. Look at you! He destroyed you. He physically and emotionally destroyed you. And he's going to pay," he paused and looked at me, pain filling his blue eyes.

"Please, not today," I said slowly, feeling exhaustion come over me. I touched my head and felt myself falling backward even more.

"Whoa, whoa whoa…" He started and rushed towards me, catching me and picking me up bridal style. "It's okay," he said. He picked up my nightgown and bloomers and brought me back into the bedroom, where he helped me get dressed and into bed.

Once I was comfortable, he kissed my forehead and said, "All right, I have to go."

"No," I pleaded, and felt tears in my eyes. "Please don't go. Please."

"I have to, Belle," he said, putting his coat on.

I bowed my head in defeat.

"Are you going to be all right here?" He asked, expecting me to say yes.

"No…" I whispered. Silence came over the room. Finally, Adam made his way towards me, climbing into the bed beside me, and pulling me close to him.

"Please, just hold me tonight," I begged, and his grip on me grew stronger yet. "I've got you, Darling. I've got you," and, without warning, this big, muscular man holding me, began to cry, as I shook in his arms.

* * *

**Hey guys! So I'm having so much fun writing this story. More chapters to come! **

**I would LOVE for people to review this fic I'm looking for ways to improve my writing. Also, if you have any plot aspects you would like to see in this story, I am more than open for suggestions! **

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	4. Chapter 4

I wasn't surprised when I barely slept through the night. How the hell was I supposed to sleep? Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Gaston staring back at me. I would jump out of my skin and wake up in a cold sweat, often kicking the sheets off of me. Adam would wake up whenever I did, reach for me, and hold me until I fell asleep.

It was 8:00 when I realized there just was no point of trying to go back to sleep. I looked over to the man sleeping next to me. He was scruffy, as he hadn't shaven for a couple of days. His strong chest rose heavily with each breath…every so often a small snore would be heard. I didn't have the heart to wake him. He had dealt with me so much during the night and he really needed to sleep. Instead, I took my eyes and looked over at the window, where rain was dripping down the side. It seemed as though the sounds in the room were magnified…the dripping from the leaky sink…Cogsworth never got around to fixing that…the creaks from the floor down the hall…the heavy breathing of my love next to me…the pounding of my chest…

I thought things were going so well. We were only 6 months away from the wedding. Everyone had been working so hard to bring this wedding together and make it special. And now…I wasn't even sure if Adam would want to marry me. And who would? I wasn't pure anymore. I couldn't let him have the one gift that every groom deserved to get from his wife.

A feeling of self-blame swept over me and a chill traveled from my shoulders down through my spine. How could I let this happen? I could have fought harder. I should have fought not just for me, but for Adam. For us. I should have fought to save myself. I should have kicked harder. I closed my eyes and imagined a world in which I managed to get away…to escape…or kill Gaston myself.

No. I couldn't think of that. I would never want to hurt anyone…not even the man who harmed me so tragically.

I hated how I felt. I hated my brown eyes that I wished I could build a dam for because the tears just would not stop. I hated how shaky I felt. I hated how needy I was becoming. And how little sleep Adam got because of me. When was the last time in my life that I needed anyone to save me? I couldn't think of a time. I couldn't think of a time when I needed to be the rescued one. I often was the one people called upon to rescue them. I was the one who took my father's place. I hated asking for help. I hated admitting that I was hurting. How could I let this happen? In that moment, all I could do was beat myself up. I hated thinking that my whole life had just changed because of a stupid decision to run away from a fight with my fiancé. If I had never run…if I hadn't been so stubborn about things, this would have never happened. Instead, I had to run away from him like a child and sulk in the garden. And in turn, give up everything. I hated myself.

And I hated thinking about a life without Adam.

I looked at him sleeping next to me again, and thought so much about how far we had come. How much…how much I hated him in the beginning. How _he _was the enemy. No. He wasn't the enemy anymore. Gaston was. The man who once went after Adam because he thought he was a monster ended up being the biggest monster at all.

And then I realized that in that moment, Gaston wasn't even the enemy.

I was the enemy.

I was quickly becoming my own enemy.

* * *

**Hey guys! So here's chapter four. It's not overly exciting, but I promise that exciting things are coming, and this chapter is kind of important to really understand what's going through Belle's head. I wanted to delve deeper into feelings and I think that's important to do every now and again. **

**Pleaseeee take the time to review and let me know what you thought of the chapter, the story so far, and let me know what I can improve on, and also give me ideas to add onto the plot! All suggestions I will take into serious consideration! I haven't gotten a single review yet and want to make my story as good as it can be!**

**Thanks so much for reading :) Hopefully chapter five will be up within the next couple of days!**


	5. Chapter 5

He never left my side. When I would awaken in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, he would be there. When I would get out of bed to use the washroom, he would help me, to make sure that I didn't hurt myself. That's why I was concerned and confused when I woke up a week after the attack and he was not next to me. I looked at the clock. It was only 5 AM. We usually slept until 8 at least.

"Adam…?" I called quietly, thinking he might be washing up. No answer. I gently got out of bed and walked down the hall, calling his name. Lumiere suddenly appeared from his bedroom, rubbing his eyes. "Mademoiselle…why…" his eyes darted from my face to down the hall, back to me.

"Lumiere…" I said, "Where's Adam?"

"Adam?" Lumiere said, trying to act casually.

"Lumiere, I'm very worried. There's no reason he should be anywhere but in my bed with me. He never gets up this early. Especially lately…" I furrowed my brows and looked deep into the man's eyes.

"Mademoiselle…Adam is going to be fine…he said to expect him back here by the time you awoke," Lumiere spoke slowly, as if he was trying to drag everything out.

"Well, I'm awake," I spoke firmly with both feet on the ground. I stared him in the eye and said, "And I would like to see my fiancé. Now where is he?"

I didn't like getting stern with Lumiere. He was the type of person who never raised his voice at you. He was fun, and cheerful, and loved entertaining people. We would often sit in the living area at tea time and talk for hours about his past adventures. I hated to demand things of him, but I needed to know where Adam was. What if something happened to him?

Lumiere looked at the ceiling and then back at me. He sighed out of exasperation. "He went…he went to find Gaston."

I stepped back and covered my mouth with both of my hands. "He WHAT?" I practically screamed. I just stood there looking at the man before me, hoping he would tell me it was one of his practical jokes. "AND YOU LET HIM?!" I yelled and grabbed him by the shoulder. "How could you do such a thing? That man has an army of many and he won't stand a chance. How the hell could you let him go off on his own like that? Are you trying to get him killed?"

Lumiere just looked at me, "I…I…I didn't…I thought that…" I let go of his shoulder and started walking swiftly back to my room. I threw on my winter cape and snow boots, and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I still had my nightgown on, but my bruises were fading on my face. There were dark circles under my eyes from the lack of sleep I'd gotten in the past week, but I looked better. And I felt well enough to do this. I walked out of my bedroom, pulling on my gloves, when I noticed Mrs. Potts standing there with Lumiere.

"Belle?" She asked. I didn't even answer her. I just walked right past them, marching determinedly.

I heard them follow me down the hall.

"Mademoiselle, where do you think you're going?" Lumiere asked, nervously.

"Where do you think I'm going?" I asked, without even looking back.

"Mademoiselle, we cannot let you leave this castle. Master's orders."

"Then pretend you didn't see me." I stopped in my tracks to look back at them angrily, and then continued my walk, eventually reaching the stairs. I stomped quickly down the stairs, and heard the pace behind me turn into a quick step.

"Deary, you really can't do this!" Mrs. Potts yelled desperately.

"Talk to Lumiere…he's the one who let Adam go to hunt down the most vicious human I've ever met." I said shortly. I knew I didn't have a legitimate reason to be angry at Mrs. Potts, but all I could think about was how huge the potential for Adam getting hurt was.

"Adam can handle himself!" Mrs. Potts called, as I heard them finally stop following me. I opened the door to a gust of wind and snow, and pulled up the hood of my cape. I looked back at the two of them, paused, and, before I slammed the door behind me, said coldly, "That's what I thought about myself."

**Hey guys! So far, I've gotten a lot of positive feedback! Thanks to anyone who has been faithful in posting reviews. **

**This chapter is kind of a segue into the next action-filled chapter...probably up by the middle of next week. **

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Remember to post reviews, follow, and favorite!**

**Love you all!**

**-Sarah**


	6. Chapter 6

The winter wind hit me in the face and nearly knocked me off my feet as I exited the massive castle.

"Philippe!" I called, and shortly thereafter my trusty horse came trotting towards me. Everything was blurry. I touched my hand to my forehead and wobbled a little. Philippe must have noticed because he walked over to me and stood so my back was leaning up against him. I stroked his mane gently, and he neighed softly, his voice almost getting lost in the storm. I looked him dead in the eye and I knew that he realized that time was of the essence. He looked desperate – concerned…like he wanted to help but he didn't know how.

"Just get me…to the…tavern…" I stuttered. I mounted him, pain shooting through me, for the position of riding a horse is not ideal to be in after you were attacked. I held onto his neck and he looked back at me, seeking a nod to show him that it was alright to move. I gently moved my head and he started trotting.

"No time for that, Philippe. I'll be okay. Just…GO!" I said, my voice determined. I barely heard him exhale before we were running through the blizzard, with the snow clouding my vision entirely, the cold so fierce that I could barely swallow. The pain in the lower hemisphere of my body was so awful that I found myself biting my lower lip to keep from screaming out in agony. "Hurry, Philippe…" I said in a whisper, incapable of saying anything more.

* * *

Maybe it was seconds, maybe it was hours. I don't know. All I do know is that eventually I saw the tavern come into view. A blurry view, but a view none the less. I was dizzy. As Philippe began to slow down I heard shouting. I did not like the sound of that at all. Philippe neighed loudly and I looked over to see Adam's horse, resting outside the tavern. The two horses locked eyes and Philippe made his way over to the other steed. Philippe leaned down so it was easier for me to dismount. I stroked him in gratitude, and lowered myself off of his back.

"I'll be back." I said softly, kissing the bridge of his nose. He looked at me sympathetically. Great. More sympathy.

I approached the tavern and peaked inside the window, where I saw the back of Adam standing in front of Gaston's chair.

"Get up so we can settle this like men," I heard Adam say.

"You know it's funny," Gaston started, and I could practically taste the cruelty, "From this angle, you look a lot less like a beast and more like a pathetic rat."

Without any warning, Adam lunged forward, and before I could think to do anything else, I threw open the door and watched as Gaston leapt up from his "throne" and Adam hit the floor, his attempt to attack Gaston thwarted by pure bad luck. I didn't have time to process what was happening before Gaston rushed back towards Adam and pulled him up by the collar, throwing him against the wall. The crowd that was gathered in this tavern started cheering.

"GASTON, DON'T!" I screamed, and everyone stopped and looked at me.

"Belle," I heard Adam whisper, almost inaudibly.

"Shut up, dick," Gaston retorted. "Oh, has the little beauty come back for round two?" I must say, I don't know if I have the energy. The last round was…shall we say, quite tiring." He started approaching me and five men from each side of the room stood up. _His army. _I hadn't seen half of these faces since they'd stormed Adam's castle. The men all looked at each other knowingly and nudged each other.

Suddenly, a feeling I hadn't quite experienced since the attack crept up on me, out of absolutely nowhere. It wasn't fright, it wasn't sadness. It was pure, unadulterated rage. These men had the audacity to know that Gaston had raped me, and they thought it was a…a _joke? _Gaston grew closer still and I found myself up against the door to the tavern. I took a deep breath and, just as he raised his hand to me, ducked underneath his arm and rushed toward Adam.

"Excuse you…" Gaston said, and I could feel him turn around and walk towards me. "Oh…Beast. In the heat of passion I forgot all about your fate."

Adam struggled to stand up. "Heat…heat of passion?" He said softly, with more anger in his eyes than I've ever seen before.

"Yes," Gaston started, undressing me with his eyes again. I pulled my cloak even closer to my body and helped Adam to his feet. "Belle and I were sharing another one of our intimate moments. I must say I really don't care for an audience when I get down to business. I think I'll get rid of you first before I have my way with her again."

"You stay away from him!" I spat, stepping in front of Adam.

"Belle, move," Adam said sternly.

"I won't." I said, standing my ground.

Gaston reached to me and touched my cheek with the back of his hand. I flinched at the touch, the memory, the pain. Flashbacks of that night roared through my head but I tried my hardest to separate them from reality. The reality was that he was trying to kill Adam and then take me. Fury sprang through me at full force and before I knew what I was doing, I started punching Gaston's chest.

I felt the burn of him grabbing my wrist. Another trigger. Suddenly I traveled back in time to that night. I could practically feel him sweating on top of me. I couldn't breathe.

Wrong attack.

I had to focus.

"Let GO of me." I said, and Gaston shot back with, "Not until you allow me to kill the beast…and succeed this time."

Part of what makes me "me" is that I don't really think before I say things. I don't think about how to word my way out of a situation. So, in the moment, what I probably should have said was something like, "I'll do what you wish, just don't hurt him." In an ideal world, he would have let Adam go, taken me as prisoner, and I would have plotted my escape later that night.

In the real world, what happened was that I screamed, "And why do you think that's going to change ANYTHING? How do you think killing him is going to make anything better for anyone? I will never be with you. If you want me, you will have to take me by force. You're not a man. A real man would never treat a woman the way you so naturally treat one. A real man wouldn't feel the need to prove his "manhood" by raping someone. A real man wouldn't feel the need to kill ANYONE. No, you're not a real man Gaston. You never have been."

Soon his hand was on my throat and I felt my airway being constricted. This was the end.

"I'm more of a man than you know, Belle," he whispered darkly in my ear, as the hold he had on my neck grew tighter.

I started seeing spots. I reached up to his hand, desperate to pry him off of me.

And then, out of nowhere, I heard a _Pop! _

It was unlike anything I'd really heard before. They say that you think you know what a gun sounds like but until you're in the moment, you don't know what it feels like to hear that sound. I felt Gaston's grasp on me stiffen, and then completely relax, as both he and I fell to the floor.

Gasping for air, I wasn't even sure what was going on myself. There was silence. Why was there silence? I put a hand to my throat, choking and breathing harder than I've ever breathed before. Confused and dazed, I looked up to the wall at one of the places Gaston had ceremoniously hung one of his shotguns. It was gone.

Trying to regain focus, I looked up and saw Adam leaning down towards me. I couldn't hear anything except a buzzing sound.

"Belle?" I saw him mouth, and he scooped me up in his arms. I could barely make out any figures, my vision was so blurred. I began to feel myself lose consciousness but I fought my body and won, willing myself to stay awake.

That's when I got the courage up to look to my left. And I saw the body. A hefty, tall, brunette pathetic excuse for a man lay there with his eyes open, and blood draining from his head.

I shook, uncontrollably. I looked to Adam and he dropped the shotgun. He picked me up and held me to him, and my hearing began to come back. As I felt us begin to leave the tavern, I could make out terrified men and women, standing up against the wall, some even huddling on the ground. They were whispering quietly to each other, or at least I think they were. My hearing was still fuzzy.

It was back enough though, that, I know for a fact, as we approached the door, Adam turned around and said loudly, "If any one of you touches a hair on her head again, your fate will be the same."

And with that, he kicked open the door, and walked us out into the stormy night. The last thing I remember was being hoisted up on Philippe, and the next thing I remember is waking up in my bedroom, feeling eerily similar to the way that I felt the morning after Gaston had hurt me the first time. It didn't matter that he was gone. I had a gut feeling that the pain he had already caused me would continue to hurt for quite some time.

I had no idea just how much pain we would have to endure in the upcoming months, though.

And neither did Adam.

* * *

**Hey guys!**

**I'm so sorry that it's been ridiculously long since I've posted a chapter. But this one was definitely one of the longest ones so far so I hope you enjoyed reading it! **

**I'm going to try to post more often.**

**Please favorite, review, and follow! **

**Thanks so much guys!**

**-Sarah**


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